The crisp air, the sparkling water, and enormous plates of lobster. A visit to Gosman’s Dock always guaranteed happy memories. It was a favorite of locals and tourists alike, praised for its seafood and its atmosphere. A new book — “Memories of Gosman’s Dock, by the Help” — is a love letter to the local institution Gosman’s used to be, before it changed ownership last fall.
On Sunday at 3 p.m., Debbie Tuma and Brian McKernan, who wrote the book along with Bill McKernan, John McKernan, and Christopher Walsh, will talk about it and sign copies at the Montauk Library.
Gosman’s Dock originally opened in 1943 as a small chowder shack under the ownership of Mary and Robert Gosman. It was praised for its comforting soup, and eventually expanded into selling lobster rolls for $3. The restaurant became extremely popular, and was expanded in 1960 to include an outer deck, which only increased its popularity. Robert Gosman died in the early 1980s and Mary Gosman died in 1997, having passed the business on to their children. The restaurant was always packed. People loved the food, the atmosphere, and the colorful staff.
Bill McKernan washed dishes at Gosman’s Dock at the age of 16. He was paid $1.50 an hour, but it wasn’t the wage that attracted him to the dock, it was the character of the place. He encountered a variety of idiosyncratic customers, ranging from enigmatic sailors to unfaithful cat owners. Over his five-summer stint at Gosman’s he wore many hats, from dishwasher to bartender to clam bar crew member, and he loved everything about the bustling restaurant. His siblings Rita and John also had jobs there, and their little brother, Brian McKernan, grew up hearing their stories.
When the time came for Brian to start working, their tales of famous patrons and incompetent employees beckoned him to Gosman’s, where he worked at the clam bar with his brothers, and the tales kept coming. From sharks in phone booths to emergency room surgeries, the brothers’ antics made for more great stories, and were part of the impetus for “Memories of Gosman’s Dock.”
Ms. Tuma, a journalist who was a summer bartender at Gosman’s in the late 1960s and ‘70s, writes in the book about clueless visitors and their dumb questions — “Miss, are these Alaskan crabs local?” and “Miss, how many clams are in a dozen?” — and about a John Lennon encounter that she still thinks about to this day.
Mr. Walsh, an East Hampton Star writer who was a former clam bar attendant at Gosman’s, includes his own John Lennon encounter in Montauk and other music memories in the book. One of them: a packed Richie Havens concert in 1973, with a crowd that he compares to the ones at the Woodstock music festival.
Ms. Tuma and Mr. McKernan will share more memories and talk about their writing process.
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Rafaela DeMartis was a participant in the 2025 East Hampton Star Summer Academy.
